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122 ROBERT L. HANSEN
also in other countries. During recent years one has been able to say that
the Danish Public-Libraries have joined the ranks of the best foreign ones
— taking into due consideration the size of the country and the small
pe-cuniary means of its country towns.
The last object which Denmark has been keen to follow can be
named the development of a National Information Bureau on similar
lines to those one has seen develop in other countries. But, while the
Institutions of this kind in other countries are connected with their National
Libraries, Denmark has considered it most reasonable to connect hers with
the State Library Commission, i.e. the Public-Libraries Head Office, this
being the place towards which all the Provincial Libraries which, with the
exception of the State Library in Aarhus, are all Public-Libraries, are in the
habit of turning.
Here is compiled now the Union-Catalogue over all Foreign Literature
in the possession of the Danish Public-Libraries, such a catalogue as has
been, or is in course of being compiled in other countries (the Danish
Union-Catalogue will, in many respects, remind one of the Swiss one), and here
is to be found the connecting link not only between the Public and all other
Danish Libraries, scientific as well as technical, but also between the Danish
Public-Libraries and the many foreign libraries which so liberally lend their
books also to our young libraries, which as yet are seldom in a position to
return the obligation. We name with gratitude the unlimited kindness and
helpfulness shown us by Swedish, Norwegian and German Libraries and by
the meritorious new English Institution, which so much resembles our own,
The Central Library for Students.
We have through this work the feeling of being in contact with the
great universal institutions and hope in time not always to have to accept
assistance, but also to be able to make some recompense, and thus, not coming
empty-handed, also take part in the international work of research — a
task which Public-Libraries with their international development, their
watch-ful sense for what other countries may have compiled of useful material,
should be fitted to take upon themselves.
And thus the circle is complete. We wandered out to gain
know-ledge, we learned what we thought we could make use of, we gained results
for ourselves — which we with pleasure place at the disposal of all — and
we are now again setting forth in the search for knowledge.
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